A Citroen engine part was mistaken for a bomb by a man in Norfolk doing a spot of gardening.

David Page picked up what he believed to be a World War II land mine and accidentally pushed a ‘button’ on the top, which he thought triggered the mine, thinking if he let go the bomb would explode.

Convinced he could be moments from death, Page taped his hand to the explosive and proceeded to stick it in a barrel of sand in order, he said, to lessen the likely damage to the rest of his body.

An Army bomb disposal team from Colchester took four hours to get to his Coltishall home. He was advised to keep his finger on the button until they could work out what he had uncovered.

Page was said to be ‘relieved’ when told he was clutching a part of a hydraulic suspension system.